Libya interim leader in hospital but stable: medics

Libya’s interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil was hospitalised in the eastern city of Benghazi on Saturday after suffering a drop in blood pressure that doctors attributed to exhaustion.

“Abdel Jalil suffered a decline in blood pressure and is now undergoing comprehensive medical examinations… His condition is stable,” a medical official at Benghazi Medical Centre where he was being treated told AFP.

The interim leader held a brief press conference later in the day to quash rumours circulating on social networking sites that he had suffered a heart attack.

“I am in good health … This was only a minor illness as a result of work-related stress and exhaustion generated by the concerns of (leading) the nation,” Abdel Jalil told journalists at the hospital.

The hospital’s director told AFP that Abdel Jalil’s doctors had ruled out the possibility of a heart attack and recommended two to three days of rest under medical supervision.

“Abdel Jalil is fit and is only suffering from a drop in blood pressure and fatigue in general,” Fathi Jehani said.